 The Business of Revolution |
Any belief that the Ukrainian people are disinterested in politics and impossible to spur to action should have been firmly disproved during the 2004 presidential campaign. If alliances were drawn in the run-up to the November 21 vote, chasms formed after the vote and during the subsequent rerun on December 26. By then, politics had ceased to be an abstraction for the majority of Ukraine's voting-age population. You were blue, or you were orange: It was as simple as that.
Pundits are likely to argue over the campaign for years, but the election controversy compelled businesses to make critical decisions regarding issues that had not previously confronted them. With tens of thousands of people gathered for rallies lasting weeks on end, what to tell employees about showing their colors in the workplace? What to do about employees who felt they needed to be at rallies rather than at work? And what to do about lost productivity? We asked our 350 Opinion Leaders how their firms handled the crisis.
Though employees' thoughts were focused on the rallies and the nation's political situation, it was perhaps inevitable that our Opinion Leaders felt an impact on productivity, with 36 percent noting some loss. Surprisingly, perhaps, more than 50 percent said that their firms either were not impacted or were more productive during the period. Only 5 percent of our respondents reported significantly less revenue than projected, but 16 percent said that they actually had more revenue than they had projected during the period.
Prior to the November 21 balloting, one-third of our Opinion Leaders say that their firms lacked a specific policy about political activity, and 47 percent either encouraged political discussions or another form of political speech, wearing buttons and campaign-related clothing.
After crowds began gathering on Khreshchatyk, more than 60 percent of our respondents allowed employees to take part during business hours despite pre-existing policies that would otherwise have resulted in disciplinary action or lost wages. Employers seemed to quickly recognize that the Orange Revolution was a special situation of significant importance to the nation. Even so, most companies refrained from taking a position favoring either candidate. More than 70 percent of our respondents said that they got most of their news about the political situation from Internet sources. Television provided some information, but very few relied principally on either Ukrainian print media or English-language media in Kyiv.
More than half our respondents personally attended a political rally more than once. Warnings issued by embassies discouraging foreign nationals from attending rallies were largely disregarded.
No policy. 34 %
Political activity discouraged. 3 %
Political activity forbidden during office hours and on premises. 16 %
Political discussions permitted or encouraged. 26 %
Wearing of buttons or campaign-related clothing permitted. 21 %
Yes, it became stricter. 12 %
Yes, it became more liberal.21 %
No. 66 %
As a violation subject to disciplinary action. 14 %
Counted against vacation, sick or personal leave. 11 %
Counted as uncompensated time. 14 %
Permitted as a special circumstance. 61 %
Yes, the rules are more restrictive. 14 %
Yes, the rules are less restrictive. 0 %
No. 86 %
Yes, for Yanukovych. 3 %
Yes, for Yushchenko. 26 %
We did not take a position. 71 %
Local television (UT-1, Inter, Channel 5, etc). 12 %
Cable TV (CNN, Euronews). 12 %
Kyiv Post. 3 %
Ukrainian print media. 2 %
Internet sources. 71 %
Yes, more than once. 54 %
Yes, once. 5 %
No. 40 %
I was not aware of these warnings. 13 %
I knew of the warnings and did not attend a rally as a result. 5 %
I knew of the warnings, but went to a rally anyway. 25 %
The warning was not a factor in my decision to Go or not go to a rally. 56 %
Significant loss of productivity. 6 %
Some loss of productivity. 36 %
No loss of productivity. 47 %
More productivity. 9 %
Significantly less revenue than projected. 5 %
Somewhat less revenue than projected. 28 %
No significant impact. 52 %
Somewhat more revenue than expected. 11 %
Significantly more revenue than projected. 5 %
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Read also previous issue' articles:
What Should Ukraine Do to Support Its Tourism Industry?
What Do You Miss Most From the Home Country?
Ideas for Solving the Insoluble
PUB POLL: Defining the dacha
The Pub Poll Waxes Romantic for
St. Valentine's Day
The Pub Poll Choices for Person of the Year
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